Pubs in the dark as Satvision goes bust

Confusion is reigning for customers of big screen supplier Satvision, which went into liquidation earlier this week.

The Stockport-based company, which sells, leases and hires plasma screens and projectors to pubs, went into liquidation on Monday, February 5. It is understood that hundreds of licensees have equipment they have hired, leased or bought from the company.

But liquidators Simmonds & Co were refusing to give any further information or advice, other than confirming the company had ceased to exist.

Pubs with Satvision equipment were alarmed by news of the company's demise. Licensee Ron de Vere, who has two pubs in the West Midlands with Satvision equipment - the Hare & Hounds in Halesowen and the Fox & Goose in Wolverhampton - said he was worried about the support he would receive.

"We have screens, projectors and boxes in my pubs that I've bought," he said. "Servicing is my main concern. We show a lot of sports, so what if something goes wrong with them? What do I tell my customers?"

Another licensee, Anita Craig of the Barrel, Stoke-on-Trent, who is leasing equipment from the company, emailed The Publican asking whether she would have to continue with direct debit payments and whether she could continue placing adverts on her screen.

But Satvision's former managing director Les Vigerstaff sought to reassure licensees.

He claims he will be offering the service through another company, Jpod Ltd.

"Our customers in the licensed trade will be given back-up," he told The Publican. "But we have no engineers at this moment in time and there will be a period of two or three weeks while we are sorting ourselves out."

Mr Vigerstaff said the decision to go into liquidation was because of "non-payment of outstanding bills from some of our major group customers", which led to "a difficult cashflow problem in December and January".

Are you a customer of Satvision? If so, please call The Publican on 020 7955 3713 or email news@thepublican.com